Dusted reports from the 2004 Avanto Media Arts Festival in Helsinki: https://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/378

The video for "My timekeeping heart" from Convoj is now online: https://www.oddity.se/prev_sidor/p_convojQT.htm
The song appears on the band's very excellent self-titled EP which is available for purchase right here.

Download the song "Dragonfly" from Sharif: https://www.adrianrecordings.com/sharif/03-Dragonfly.mp3
The track comes from the band's most recent album "Lost causes, causes lost", out now on Adrian Recordings.

Check out a live video of Hanif from their show with Robert Plant at Cirkus in Stockholm last April: https://www.hanif.nu/monster_files/Black%20Box.wmv

I wasn't all that impressed the first time I heard The Psyke Project. I thought their first album was a clumsy almagation of somewhat decent riffs, but lacking the kind of big-picture thinking to take them to the next level. Not to mention, I'm generally averse to bands playing their style of brutal metalcore considering all the macho bullshit posturing that's usually associated with it. Thankfully, all that has changed with the new record "Daikini". The band has totally streamlined their sound and songwriting, eschewing all the overly-busy playing that was bogging them down and in process, creating the best heavy album I've heard this year. The song I've posted from them today shows the band at their slowest and most brutal. As I said above, I'm not usually so into chugga-chugga hardcore, but there is no way I deny how awesome this is. I'm especially thankful they don't try to pull any clean vocal parts. It's so unnecessary, but yet so many bands do it even though it almost always drags down the song. If you want to be metal, why mess around? Just go all out darnit. TPP knows what's up. Very recommended - this CD has been on constant rotation for me ever since I got it in the mail two weeks ago.

Slightly off-topic: the new design I made for the Indieworkshop.com website is now online. There's still a few glitches and whatnot that need fixing, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Also off-topic: The New York Times praises mp3 blog Music For Robots as they release their first compilation CD: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/06/technology/06blog.html?

Norwegian vegan straightedge hardcore act Purified in Blood has signed with Alveran Records. Look for a new full-length from the band early next year.

When We Fall has signed with The Emo Foundation. Look for a five-song EP to be released soon.

Check out the video for "Uncomplicated and fun" from Uncle's Institution: https://www.unclesinstitution.com/wttm.htm

Check out a stream of The State of Floral Beings playing at Alcazar in Stockholm from May 28: https://www.trewetharecords.com/tsofbgig.m3u

Norway's The Margarets will begin recording their third album on July 4 in a boathouse on their home island of Giske. It took the band ten years to make their first record, three to make their second, and now it seems it will be less than a year for the next one.

The new Latebirds album "Radio insomnia" has been confirmed for a Finnish release date of August 10. The first single should be hitting the airwaves shortly.

The First Miles now have two full songs available for download from their excellent new album "Aim for the heart, go!": https://www.thefirstmiles.com/show.php?page=download&lang=en
If you like what you hear, don't forget you can order the album direct from IAT.

Switchblade reports that they'll be entering Mission Hall Studio on August 1 to begin recording their next presumable self-titled album. "Expect the new material to be a lot slower, heavier and more epic than ever," they say.